Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watarts.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!mupmalis From: mupmalis@watarts.UUCP (M. A. Upmalis) Newsgroups: net.politics,net.followup Subject: Re: Islam (long but informative) Message-ID: <8501@watarts.UUCP> Date: Fri, 26-Jul-85 15:40:49 EDT Article-I.D.: watarts.8501 Posted: Fri Jul 26 15:40:49 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 27-Jul-85 03:42:05 EDT References: <264@harvard.ARPA> Reply-To: mupmalis@watarts.UUCP (M. A. Upmalis) Distribution: net Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 69 Xref: watmath net.politics:10097 net.followup:5128 Summary: In article <264@harvard.ARPA> heddaya@harvard.ARPA ( Solom) writes: >The rules given by the Koran (our holy book) and Sunna (prophet Mohammad's >sayings and actions) regarding treating non-muslems under muslem jurisdiction >are very clear and unambiguous: they should be allowed to worship freely; >their properties and religious structures are to remain untouched; >.. >.. > >Applying these principles, non-muslems are allowed to have their own laws in >marriage, divorce, and the like. What they don't get to choose, though--and >have to follow Muslem law in--is the penal code (for crimes) and the laws >governing financial transactions. > An important point, is that in Western society much of what we hold in religion we also hold in the criminal law, so that polygamy, Marijuana, etcetera that we hold illegal can be part of religious beliefs elsewhere. An example would be to offer communion in an Islaam state would have to be done with grape juice, or after special provision with wine. Education is another thing held under law and often also claimed by religion especially the more fundamentalist religions whatever their stripe. Even amng the open Muslim states there exists some variance in what can or cannot be done. >The prophet Muhammad said: > >* Protect my [contract with non-muslems]. (Muslem law defines the relation > with non-muslems as a social contract) >* Whoever is unfair to a [non-muslem], or [taxes] him more than he can > afford, then I will [argue against him on the day of judgement]. > >Moreover, Islam grants a special status to Christians and Jews (people of the >book), because Islam recognizes and acknowledges both religions as valid in >their own times and places. You must see how highly the Koran speaks of >Jesus and Moses to understand that no devout muslem is going to hurt a >christian or jew just because of the latter's belief. And if he does, then >he is simply violating the teachings of Islam as it stands documented. I have to agree with the intent, the openess of the Prophet's contract jars with western society. The education Act in Ontario was amended a few years back from an instruction for teachers to promote Christian to Judeo Christian Morality. For my friends that were Hindu or Shinto or Muslim, they seemed to have been forgotten.... > >Please, don't prematurely judge a major religion of the world, which is also >associated with a major civilization. Also, observe that political groups >who are labeled as Muslem do not always operate in the name of Islam, or even >under its teachings. One must look at the people who wrap their actions in the cloth of the Prophet, What is happening to the B'ahai In Iran stands foremost in my mind. They may not represent the spirit of Muslim, but they represent by sheer numbers the impact of what has become revilutionary fundamentalist muslim in this world.... > >The Barbaric Islam, as Mr. Martillo prefers to call it, has maintained and >developed the contributions of the ancient egyptian, greek, and persian >civilizations while Europe was in the dark ages! The Muslim world had some of the worlds first and most progressive University, and then the mullahs came in and the advance of knowledge slowed. I think the rationale for one of the burnings of the Library of Alexandria was that if it (the knowledge conatained in the Library) was correct it was in the Koran, and that if it was not in the Koran then it was wrong, so there was no need for the library.... -- Mike Upmalis (mupmalis@watarts) ihnp4!watmath!watarts!mupmalis